The Hunt for Tomoe Mami
by Macho Man Randy Quaid
Summary: After nearly committing suicide, Katanashi Mutsumi can't get the image of the beautiful maiden who saved her out of her mind. She vows to seek out and find the girl. Perhaps then, she'll find some purpose in her life? Mami x Office Lady from Episode 2.
1. Chapter 1

Katanashi Mutsumi, until this day, still doesn't know what particular issue led her to gamble her life away that the cool autumn evening. She was unceremoniously terminated from her job without explanation, and that was what she was most conscious about at the time. Then, of course, there were her family issues. Then, there was her problem with forming proper relationships and intimacy . But none of these by themselves would have pushed her to try and throw herself off of a hospital rooftop. Was it all them together? That appeared to be the only far conclusion. But Office Lady always prided herself on being a cool head, of remaining collected even in the most desperate of situations. After all, her life up until Christmas Day, had been one long endless series of strife, and she always imagined a way to keep herself together and remain strong. Throwing herself off that roof seemed so out of character for her, and the strangest thing about the affair was that she never intended to commit suicide. Her college days may have been only a distant memory, but she did remember learning one thing from her psychology class, and that was that suicides were, as a general rule, planned out in advance. She never planned to kill herself. Rather, it was safer to say that she was distraught with some strange and terrifying sensation, almost like something had possessed her. She just remembered almost hearing this voice telling her to climb on the roof, and to, "just jump off," weirdly calmly, almost matter-of-factly, as if no other option could ever become available. "It's not like you have anything to live for, Matsumi-san," the voice pointed out, "You have no job. You're old and unmarried.

You're a freak and a pervert who cannot form a proper romance."  
"It would be better for you, and for everyone, if you just killed yourself. After all, you're just a waste of space."  
And Mutsumi simply remembered herself nodding. "You're right," she said. "You're right." And in a moment where all fear was gone, and strange calm, an evil calm, passed over her, she surrendered to the demand of the voice, and she went limp and dropped herself from the top of the hospital.  
She must have gone insane, she thought to herself a few days after the episode. But she never had a repeat of the episode. Going back to ol' psych 101, she also recalled that schizophrenia was usually a life long condition that stayed with the patient as she went about her life, it didn't just come and go. Also, despite what movies and books may say, the voices rarely if ever actually talked to you or issued commands.  
But in hindsight, it may not have been so hard to believe that Matsumi had, in fact, gone temporarily insane and that it was safe to say that she 'lost her cool.' It didn't take much scrutiny to any outside observer to see that the entire year of 2XXX was the worst year of Matsumi's life. The worst of a series of increasingly terrible years. For, you see, Matsumi had just turned 26, which in her country in this particular time and place, was a hard age for a young woman because you suddenly found yourself old. There's an old joke that a woman at 25 whose unmarried is doomed to be an old hag, and Matsumi was in her second year. Matsumi never advertised her relationship status, or rather lack thereof to anybody, but still she knew people were talking and that she was developing a reputation. Most of the women her own age had been promoted to the coveted position of housewife, pined for by every right-minded schoolgirl across the country, but then again, Matsumi never was right-minded, as her dear parents loved to point out. Those who remained had desks decorated with a special loved one, marked by a framed portrait of their newly-found husband, the wedding glow still irradiating off of it. Most of them; however, were now on maternity leave.

She had become almost an untouchable in the office. Sure, they all worked with her, but outside that, they shunned her like a leper. She ate alone, she never went out with her employers after work. It was weird how this fall from grace happened so quickly. Last year, when she had just turned 25, all the guys in the office kept badgering her about how she should marry them and save herself from the horrors of becoming an old hag, which she loathed. Then, once she turned 26, nothing. Which was fine by her, because she hated them anyway. The only thing she could live without was the constant gossiping. She HATED the constant gossiping. Every time she walked into the staff room, onto the office floor, it was always the same. "Oh, she's hopeless," they would say, either man or woman, "I mean, she must really be some sort of weirdo if she's not married by now. She'll probably never find someone."

In all, she could live with this working arrangement, even if the gossip drove her nearly to the brink of madness sometimes. But it was her family that drove her into endless depressions. She knew that she shouldn't hate her own family, but she did. She hated them, with a passion. And things only worsened when her sister of only 22 years of age found herself a husband before her.

"When are you going to get yourself a man in your life?" her mother berated her, "A proper man! I bet your still kissing girls!" she said, in reference to an instance from her high school years where she dated a friend of hers in secret. It was eventually outed, much to her disgrace. And much to Matsumi's disgrace, her mother was right. She still went out with many women in secret, much to her shame. "Your sister is younger than you, yet she's married and is living a normal life, yet you continue to be a burden to us!"

"A burden," Matsumi replied, "a BURDEN! In what way am I a BURDEN!?" she shouted. "Imouto lived here with you two since the end of high school and never went to college! While I went to school! I payed off my OWN loans, and I never moved back in here permanently! I got a job with a good pay, and I pay my own rent! And yet I'M the one who is a burden!"

"Because your imouto at least knows her place! And she doesn't NEED to pay rent because she has a husband now! Your father and I have had it up to here with you. We've talked, and we've decided that if by your next birthday you still don't have yourself a husband, we want noting more to see or hear from you."

'Well, let me spare you the wait," she said as she headed towards the door. "Because I NEVER want anything to do with you lot again! I hate you, I truly do!"

"I hope you disappear!" her mother's last words.

A week after the incident, the day of the attempted suicide, she was terminated from her job without any explanation. "You're too experienced," her boss tried to put it. He was too much of a coward to say he thought she was too old. She had until the end of the day, but she left anyway. The thought of having to sit there and pretend to do work for the rest of the afternoon while everyone in the office watched her and whispered about her; it was enough to make her sick. She left the office for the ;sat time and went out into the comfort of the street where she wandered aimlessly for god knows how long.  
And as she walked those streets, through the mobs of people, she finally realized that she was alone. It never occurred to her before just how alone she was.

And that's when the voice came.

"You're worthless," it said to her as she stood there on top of the roof, the dusk penetrating the sky behind her, "The only wrathful service that you could provide the world right now is to jump off this roof and kill yourself."  
"You're right," she nodded again. "You're right." Tears began to fall from her face as she walked to the edge. Without anything more, she leaned forward and fell off.  
Except I couldn't have actually fallen off, because I'm alive, right," she thought to herself many times later. It is true that she didn't actually know what happened next. She did remember falling herself, but she must've blacked out. The next even she could recall from this bizarre episode was finding herself in the embrace of a girl. A blonde-haired girl who couldn't have been more than a late middle-schooler. She didn't know how exactly she got hold of her. It was then that it finally occurred to her what she had tried herself to do, and when she broke down sobbing into the girl's chest.  
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, "I…I jumped! I actually jumped!" And she just pressed her face into the girl's chest and she cried so much that it caused her pain, almost like her blood vessels would burst from the pressure. It was the tears of a lifetime of repressed suffering all coming out at once. Matsumi felt as if she could stay there crying on that girl's vest for hours and hours, but in reality she only did so for a couple minutes. A soothing calm came over her as that girl pat her and stroked her hair and shushed her. Mutsumi stopped crying. The girl leaned in close to her, to her ear, and she whispered, "It's okay. You're safe now." And with that, a lifetime of sadness and pain was absolved almost immediately. Mutsumi felt calm, but not eerily so like how she experienced with the voice. She felt legitimately calm; she felt at peace. So much so that Mutsumi fell asleep right there and then in that girl's arms, but not before she gave herself one good look of the girl's face.  
When Matsumi come to, she was back in her own bed and it was late at night. At first she thought it was a strange dream, but then she remembered everything. She remembered feeling sensations that one just doesn't find in a dream, such as the wind. She also just remembered everything about the girl- the sweet smell of her perfume, and how soft her touch was. No, Mutsumi knew that it wasn't a dream - that that girl, whoever she was, was out there.

* * *

 **A/N:**

This is the first part of a crack pairing story for Mami x The Office Lady, as requested by Major Mike Powel III. Consider more of a prologue of sorts. To be honest, I kind of thought that this was complete garbage, so I wasn't planning on releasing it at all, but the Major kept insisting and bothering me about it,and I really just want to move on with my life, so here it is. Does this hold you over for awhile now, Mike? Does it!?

Now, of course, I'll be forced to write another installment since this isn't really done, but I'm sure this is a good introduction. I don't really know what direction to take it; however, so if anyone has an suggestions, I would value the input. Maybe I can make it about the Hunt for Mami? Now that I'm writing this now, I just realized that is a great title for this thing, so I'm gonna call it that. I am currently writing like four Yuru Yuri stories right now, as well as another Madoka Magica one, Mami x Kyouko, so I'm pretty busy, while also packing to go to Korea. As much as I love writing, it takes up a lot of time, and i feel like I let a lot of people down sometimes because I don't update their favorite stories or do their requests as soon as they or i would even like, and so it is the source for a lot of stress. And that's not jab at you Mike-kun, that's just a general thought.

Anyway, we'll see where this goes. I thrive when things are non-regimented and up in the air, and there's a lot of space with this one. It's garbage, but it has potential.

Thanks for reading. Please check out my other stories if you can, and have a nice whatever time of day it is! Peace.


	2. Chapter 2

"What am I doing here?" Mutsumi asked herself again as she walked past the middle school. She watched as the students trudged out into the streets, clearly after a long day of school. She scanned the crowd hoping to find the one girl that she was interested in. She didn't care about any of them, she only wanted to set her eyes on one particular girl with a golden head of hair. She dropped her head in disappointment as the crowd began to dissipate and there was no sign of her. "I don't even know if she attends an all-girls school," she attempted to reason to herself but it did no good. "I suppose that she could be in a club here at this school and they haven't left yet. Maybe I should wait a little while longer..."

"Excuse me," came a voice suddenly from behind her. She yelped, and jumped back to find a woman standing there from apparently out of nowhere.

"Ah," Mutsumi breathed, "You scared me!"

"Sorry," the woman replied; she appeared to be in her mid-thirties. "I'm a teacher here at the school. You've been out here for quite some time, and I was just wondering if you were looking for someone…"

Of course she couldn't admit that she was looking for a middle school girl who she did not know. Mutsumi turned away to hide her blush, and devised a clever ruse to cover her motivations; whatever they were.

"Oh, err, no! I was just admiring the school!" she said. She scratched the side of her head, "I heard good things about the place, and I maybe thought my daughter could come here someday! Heheh," she chuckled awkwardly. _My daughter!?_ She thought to herself, _What am I_ _ **even**_ _saying!?_

The teacher just gazed at her with what Mutsumi believed to be a judgemental stare, although it could have just been her own worry. If the teacher suspected anything, she did not betray her feelings. "Well, then," she said, "Might I suggest coming back when we have an open house."

Mutsumi, already beginning to move away, nodded. "Oh, yes! Sure! Sure!" She walked away from her at an average speed, but in her mind's eye she was legging it out of there. She went around the corner and, once she was confident she was out of the teacher's sight, dashed into a light sprint. She legged it until she reached the end of the block. She stopped, bent over, and caught her breathe.

"Practically got the cops called on me," she said to herself, between breathes at the end of the sidewalk. "I can't keep doing this."

She felt a pitter patter of drops land on her head. She looked up. It had started to rain. "I better go home," she said. "Seriously, 'My daughter!' Seriously, Mutsumi?" she criticized herself, "Do I even _give off_ the motherly vibe?"

She trudged along the sidewalk, feeling another bout of disappointment. She looked up and saw she was walking past a sign. "Mitikihara Middle School," it read, and glanced casually in the direction of the school. A wealthy school by appearances, given the quality of the uniforms. The young girls really looked the part of proper ladies with their khaki jackets and lovely bows. It seemed something fitting for her blonde mystery girl. For a brief moment, she let herself enjoy a small fantasy of her heroine in the cute little outfit, all dressed up proper in her leggings leading up to her skirt and her bow to finish it off. Not unlike a finely-wrapped Christmas present, she thought to herself in some corner of her mind, but she immediately shook herself back to her senses.

"What am I thinking?" she thought to herself again, "It's not like that at all!"

She mused over the possibility of lounging around Mitikihara Middle School and trying out her chances, but the nasty encounter she just had was enough for one day. It was raining and it was cold, so she shrugged off the urge this time and decided to return to her apartment.

* * *

This had pretty much been Mutsumi's routine since her attempted suicide. She woke up, had herself a quick breakfast, and without bothering to check the news or even the weather report, she went out to wander the streets aimlessly. Well, not aimlessly. She would remember the face of the girl who she saw holding her that day and then, as if hit by lightning, she would seek out a middle school to scout around, doing her best to find her while also doing her best to remain inconspicuous. She succeeded at it better one some days than others. It felt wrong somewhere in her mind to be doing this. A late-twenty-something career lady hanging around middle schools scouting out young teenaged girls - it sounded absolutely perverted. She would occasionally imagine what it would be like to be in a police station, at the interrogation room, trying to come up with something to say that could possibly justify such suspicious behavior. Mutsumi couldn't think of anything even in her daydreams, which was all the more motivation to not get caught.

This truly was the creepiest, most likely criminal thing that she ever did in her life. Yet at the same time, she loved doing it. She didn't know why exactly, although she had some ideas. Perhaps it was the thrill of doing something that she knew shouldn't really be doing, something that felt dangerous, but that she knew was mostly harmless. But what it really was, though, was that this gave her a reason to get out of bed in the morning; actually more than that; to leap out of bed. Trying to find that lovely child gave her a mission for the day, if not for her life! It gave her a reason for being. She dreams of the golden girl; therefore she is.

Lately; however, she felt that that this was beginning to turn on her. She opened her door and turned on the lights. The put her purse down on the stained kitchen counter. She sat down on her couch, which sent dust all over the place in a haze. She pulled out her burger she got at the local fast food restaurant, and bit into it as she flipped on her TV. She didn't check her answering machine, which was very well because it didn't have any messages for her. No one had bothered to seek her out. The weather report was on TV; it was supposed to rain all through the night.

When Mutsumi finished eating, she stood up and dumped the remaining waste in the trash. She looked at the spotted counter and followed it to the sink where there stood a stack of dishes a mile high. The place was a general mess; she hadn't cleaned it in a month. Come to think of it, she hadn't done much of anything in a month, nothing except look for her dream girl. She sat back down on the couch, and thought, "I haven't done anything else. I haven't cleaned my place. I haven't sent out any resumes. I haven't done anything else. I'm lucky I paid my rent a half year in advance or I'd be getting evicted soon, too." Even then, she didn't have that much time left on either. Her savings would be tapped soon enough, and then she would be in serious trouble. She shut her eyes as the TV news drummed on in the background about killings and wars and politicians and celebrities and the weather. It was very hard, but she opened her eyes and made a decision.

"That girl," she said, "whoever she was, she saved my life. But I haven't been living this past month, I haven't moved on. I need to get my life back together." She looked out the window. The rain was coming down in buckets now. The city looked beautiful during the rain. "If I squander my second chance at life, then I selfishly invalidate her act! And I can't do that!" She watched as the rain rolled down the windowpane. "Tomorrow, I'm gonna clean this place up. Then, I'll make a new resume! And I'm gonna get a new job!"

"Exhausted from the day, she lay back down, "I'll probably never find her again," she whispered to herself as she shut her eyes. "I wanted to find her again so badly, so I could, I don't really know, repay her? I guess?" She felt more and more drowsy. "But the best way I could repay her is to move on and live again!"

She did one last snuggle into her cushion as everything around her began to fade, and as she felt her thoughts begin to heighten as dreams began to become vivid. She breathed in. "Yes, I'll live again…" she muttered as she drifted off to sleep, and the girl returned to her in the one place she could always meet her. In her dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

Mutsumi finished her filing, ready to leave the office at a moment's notice. It was near closing time and after a long day of work she impatiently awaited going home, eating dinner, and taking a well-deserved rest. She sighed, weary from the day's workload, and picked up her briefcase and headed towards her boss's office to bow and await his permission to leave. He gave it and she thanked her and head out the door giving curtly bows to her coworkers as she passed. Some of her coworkers were arranged by the elevator making plans for the evening. Mutsumi overheard them in the elevator; about going to a sushi or a barbeque place, then going to some sort of pub afterwards. They invited her along, but she politely declined, insisting that she was too tired this evening, but that she'll happily go next time! She bowed to them and wished them well.

Mutsumi sighed again. She checked the time on her phone, it was around 6:00. He caught a glimpse of the date as well; she couldn't believe that it had already been about three months since the end of her time been working at her new job, and she loved nearly every minute of it. It had its faults, of course. Some co-workers were more irritating than others as well as the occasional issues with the fax machines that plague every office the world over; but it was paradise compared to her last job. For one, she was promoted to a management position, which she did not expect. She became the Department Manager in Charge of Sales, when she really just interviewed for a job as a routine salesperson. She now enjoyed a higher salary, her own office, and some sweet perks like more sick days, greater vacation time, and the works. This greatly surprised her, especially given her age, but luckily for her, the boss was more open minded than most and hired her based on her experience. The work environment was much different, too; more relaxed, cooperative, and easy-going. Another way that their boss was more open-minded is that he actually dismissed them at the proper end of the work shift and didn't exploit them for free labor until 11 at night like many other bosses, and when someone was working overtime, he insisted that they be paid for it and that they don't exceed their limitations. As a result, this office was much more friendly, cooperative, and productive. Everyone got along well-enough most of the time. Mutsumi wasn't completely free of gossip, especially about her being unmarried and of the the speculation about why that was the case, but she expected that and as long as her boss didn't care about it, she didn't either. Besides, despite the gossip, the others still treated her well-enough and invited them to their functions.

Overall, life was well. The new job was all she hoped for and the future appeared brighter. But still, there was something missing in her life. A real friend, a lover, the girl who saved her. She closed her eyes and thought of that lovely girl; more than a girl, still not quite a woman, but a proper lady all the same. At least, that's how Mutsumi thought of her. She looked up at the skyscrapers for a while and thought about her. Then, she felt something splat on her face. It was a raindrop. "Shoot!" she said to herself, "I forgot my umbrella at home!" She turned into a store to buy a cheap umbrella. She perused the umbrella stand to find something and grabbed the second or third umbrella she saw, a black one with goldish streaks. She turned around and walked down the aisle to the paying counter. She saw her and she froze. Mutsumi stood there, her mouth agape, unable to believe what was actually happening. There she was at the counter - the girl from her dreams! The golden blonde hair with ringtails, her body dressed in her school outfit. She couldn't make out her face because she was turned away from her, paying for something at the counter, but somehow, through intuition, she knew! Mutsumi didn't know what to do. She felt stiff. She felt a tightness in her chest as if her heart was going to burst itself out. She didn't know if she should go over to her or if she should run off and hide. Where would she hide? It would look awfully bizarre if a grown, adult woman were seen hiding behind a shelf, panting heavily over having seen a fifteen or sixteen year old girl. She couldn't believe she felt like this. It was like being in school all over again crushing on someone. It was embarrassing.

Before she could decide on an action, the girl moved away from the counter, presumably finished with her transaction. Mutsumi, without hesitation, sped up to the counter and quickly bought her umbrella, glancing in the direction of the door in between pulling out her card and handing it to the cashier. If the cashier thought her behaviour was finicky or bizarre, she didn't let on. Mutsumi, then, dashed out into the rain, looking both ways to see where she was going. She spotted only one person, but they were covered by their umbrella. They turned the corner, and being the only lead, Mutsumi followed suit. Around the bend, she walked slowly as not to be inconspicuous. Mutsumi kicked herself for not memorizing the umbrella's color as she followed.

She watched it patiently, waiting to catch a glimpse of her face behind the cloth. She saw the umbrella turn slightly and gasping, she jumped behind a door of some building clutching against the wall as she tried to catch her breath. 'What am I doing?' she said to herself. 'Am I actually STALKING a teenaged girl!?' Mutsumi was aware of what she was doing and she felt like a giant creep for it, but self-loathing and disgust were things she had become well-acquainted with over the long and cruel years she had spent as a lesbian woman in Japan. So, that's why she ignored her own appeal to reason, rounded the precipice and continued to follow the umbrella around another corner. This time as the girl turned, she caught an ever so slight glimpse of her hair, her cheeks, and her lips….and Mutsumi knew for sure. After a burst of adrenaline, she dashed forward through the rain and tried to round the corner. "Excuse me, miss-" she tried to yell, but she felt herself losing control. She had turned to fast, and slipped on the wet pavement. "Whaaahhh! UGH!" she let out loudly as she fell and slammed hard into the trash can sitting there. For a brief moment she forgot about the girl and her quest and everything else in the world as she focused on the sudden loss of control and more specifically the sudden sensation of pain coursing through her arm. She groaned as she lay there. "Oooohhhh!"

She pushed herself up, still a bit dazed.

"Excuse me, Mrs.!" she had heard a familiar voice say. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh, yeah….." she paused and stammered a bit when she had recognized who was speaking to her. It was a young beauty, obviously a teenager, but yet seemed so much maturer beyond her years. She had golden hair, soft skin, fierce yellow eyes, and petite red lips. It was the girl from her dreams.

"Are you sure? You took a nasty tumble there!" she said.

"Yeah," Mutsumi repeated. "I'm fine! I'm okay!" she rose up. I'm okay, I'm fine." The girl before her had extended her hands out to help raise her back up. Mutsumi accepted, blushing fiercely at the unreal sensation of having touched someone who had up until then only appeared to her as vivid dreams in the past. It felt an emotion known only to gods, part exhilaration and part dread. She rode the hand back up to her feet, and felt strange again at how she now towered over the young teenager. Mutsumi still felt a bit timid in her knees, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the tumble or because she had finally met her. She had always wanted to find her, but never actually expected to do so, like the difference between dreaming about becoming a famous star and actually waking up one morning to find that you've become one. The whole experience was surreal and made her feel uneasy.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay," said the high schooler. She was shorter than her by about a foot, but then of course she would be. For some reason, Mutsumi always imagined the teenager towering above her as she lay in her arms. The difference in size didn't help unease Mutsumi or feel the power shift back to her in any way. "-but I want to ask you a question now, if I may?"

"Oh, what? Why, yes! Of course! Please do!"

"Before you fell, were you following me? I heard footsteps behind me for quite sometime, and then I heard you shout out something before you fell."

"Oh, so you heard that, did you?" Mutsumi could only scratch her head. She felt uneasy, and a slight bit disgusted with herself, like she was one of those older women who followed and molested and seduced high school students in those online porn videos, only somehow she was caught out and the young student had flipped the script on her. She didn't really know what to say to justify herself and make this okay.

So, she decided to simply to tell the truth. "I didn't have any ill-intent, believe me! I-I _KNOW_ what this may look like, but it isn't that, I swear."

"Okay," the girl said, "Go on."

"Well, it's just, I'm confident that we met before, a few months back. I don't really remember when, but you...did something for me that saved my life. And I just wanted to invite you to dinner as a thank you."

As she spoke, Mutsumi could see a subtle, but discernible change in the girl's eyes. It had become clear that the girl had recognized her now. "Oh, well, I don't know~" she said, her voice wavering. Mutsumi felt torn as on the one hand she didn't want to unfairly pressure a teenaged girl to come back to her place with herself being a complete stranger to her, but her desire to be in her company was greater than her consideration. "Please," she said, not trying to sound too desperate, "I might never see you again after this! It's bothered me for such a long time and I just really want to show you my gratitude. I mean, you saved my life! I don't know how, but you did!"

"I don't know; I'm sorry!" the teen replied. " I don't mean to sound rude or unappreciative! It's just this is so sudden! And you are still a stranger!"

Mutsumi began to sulk as a strong feeling of defeat came over her. She did in her heart desperately want the young girl to accept the offer and come back to her place, regardless of what others' might think of her if they found out. Her desire to be with her was stronger than the need to conform to the social norms decided by vague "theys". But, in the same breath, she knew she couldn't force the girl to comply. It would be wrong to violate her agency, and she didn't want her to feel shanghaied or threatened in any way.

With a heavy heart, she sighed and graciously accepted defeat. The universe won again, as it always does. "I understand," she meekly replied, letting out another short sigh. "I won't force you to come … but,"

The teenager perked up a bit, obviously curious as to what she had to say. "But can I at least have your name? So, I know who it was who saved my life! It's honestly torture for me not having a name to apply to your face."

She mulled it over. "I guess there's no harm in that," she said. "My name is Mami. Mami Tomoe!"

"Mami? Of course, you'd have such a pretty name!" Mutsumi said.

"Oh, why thank you! I don't hear that too often." They both blushed. The rain dripped on the sidewalk as a minute past. They both could hear the sound of distant cars off somewhere driving on the wet pavement as either of them thought of something to say.

"Well, thank you for your time!" Mutsumi said. "I just wanted to thank you. I'll-I'll let you continue your business if you need." She went to turn around until she heard, "Wait!"

Mutsumi turned back. Mami was still facing the soaked sidewalk. "I can tell it would mean a lot to you," Mami said. She raised her eyes to meet Mutsumi's gaze. "So, I'll accept your offer."

Mutsumi nearly stammered on her words. "Oh, okay…" she mustered, "Can you-can you come over tonight?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Well," Mutsumi said as the lock clicked open, "Home sweet home!"

Mami looked about the room curiously as she entered the room. She had been here once before, but still it felt as if it were for the first time. In a way, it was; the last time she didn't really have the time to stop and enjoy the decor as she was too busy taking care of the owner. In fact, she didn't memorize any of the room's layout at all. She remembered it being a nice enough place if not a little unkempt. There was dust and garbage about the place, the counters were a bit dirty. Mutsumi had obviously let the place go back then, most certainly due to her depressive and possessed conditions, but Mami was glad to see that since then she worked to restore it to its former glory. It still wasn't the Windsor Castle, but it was homely and comfortable, and presentable to guests. Mami beamed a smile. She took this as a good sign, not only for Mutsumi's own mental condition, but that the lifestyle she chose for herself was right. She was blessed in that moment to actually see the consequences of her efforts pay off, which she rarely if ever got to see. It felt very rewarding. Her soul gem glimmered unseen.

"You can sit at the table if you want," Mutsumi said, pointing to the small dinner table huddled on the floor. "Thanks!" Mami said, still checking out her surroundings as she did so.

"You have a very nice place!" Mami said. "Very homey!"

"Ah, thank you!" Mutsumi said. Mami could hear the sounds of clanking going on from behind her. Mutsumi was preparing some soup. There was also something in the microwave. "Would you like any help?" Mami asked her, as she sat down and stretched, "I'm pretty good at cooking and baking myself."

"Oh, are you?" Mutsumi asked, turning to her while keeping her mind on her task, genuinely interested in her young love's life, "That's amazing!" Mami couldn't help but smirk. "Well," she said, "I don't know about amazing!"

"But please, you are my guest!" replied Mutsumi. "I don't want you to stress." Mami nodded and settled in. She really didn't feel like doing much anyway. It was her night off and since she didn't have to cook for herself now, she figured she'd might as well settle in. She hung her coat and umbrella on the rack and sat down, sighing in comfort as she removed her wet stockings and and folded them on the floor. Despite her initial reservations, Mami was quickly beginning to feel comfortable in Mutsumi's home. Everything about Mutsumi, her face and her voice, were very consoling and reassuring, and helped her feel very at ease. The scented candles that Mutsumi lit up most likely helped, too. With nothing really better to do, she whipped out her phone and looked at her text messages. She had received a few from her fellow magical girls. 'Have a good night off, Mami!' Sayaka texted her. 'Please relax and enjoy yourself!' Madoka had said. She texted her friends to wish them luck. She thought about explaining to them where she was, but something inside her decided against it. It's better to keep this encounter a secret for now, she figured, until she knew what this encounter really is. Besides, it wasn't like Mutsumi was dangerous or anything! Mutsumi came with some food, which she placed in front of her. "Here you go," said Mutsumi. Mami thanked her as she put her phone away.

"Looks good," Mami complimented. "Did you make this?

"Thanks….," Mutsumi said shyly, "but unfortunately I cannot claim the honor. It's some leftovers from delivery the other night! And the soup is store bought!"

She scratched the back of her head. "I'm sorry I didn't prepare a proper dinner; I'm just REALLY not that good a cook!" she explained.

Mami smiled. "No problem! It still looks delicious."

"I do feel like it's a bit of a cheat, seeing as how you … helped me and everything."

Mami snickered, "It's not at all, really! It looks good! You have great taste in food."

Mutsumi did a brief bow, partially as a bit of a joke, but partially to hide her blush from Mami's compliment. "Oh, why thank you!" 'I'm blushing because she likes my takeout?' she thought. 'I really AM like a high schooler!'

"Coffee?" Mutsumi asked, snapping back to reality.

"Hmm? Oh, no, but thank you! I'll be up all night! And this is my night off!"

"Night off? You have a job?" 

"Oh, well yes, in a manner of speaking."

"Part-time job?"

"Umm, I guess you could say that," Mami said, hiding a laugh. 'I almost forgot that most people don't magical girl for a living'. She snickered quietly to herself as she actually thought about telling her what she really did for a living; ultimately deciding not to advertise herself as some sort of lunatic. "But it feels like full-time work sometimes!"

"Heheh!" Mutsumi snickered. "Just wait until you become an adult! It doesn't get any easier, let me tell you."

"Heheh, I believe you," Mami replied. "Of course, I used to have to do it EVERY DAY in the past," she moaned, "but we hired a couple of juniors from my school and they take some of the shifts off of me for now, so I have a little more freedom." Mami delighted in her explanation. Not only did she think that it was a brilliant cover, but it also made her sound kind of mature, almost like she was really talking shop with a real adult. She envisioned herself as the administrator of some department in some company, in a classy business suit dictating managerial orders to her subordinates, all of them going, "Yes, m'am!" as she finished issuing them. She smirked to herself. Mutsumi noticed this and smirked, too.

"That's great! Everyone needs some time to themselves," Mutsumi commented, "especially teenagers!" Mami sulked upon hearing this, "Awww! I had so much fun imagining myself as a boss right there. Why did you have to ruin it by reminding me that I'm just a teenager!" She sighed. Mutsumi giggled at how cute she was acting. The fact that Mami carried herself with such poise made her silly overreaction all the sweeter. "Sorry," was all she could say, although she didn't mean it too deeply.

They ate for a little while longer in silence. They both looked away, either around the room or at their food. Eye contact between the two felt a little awkward still. Mutsumi tried to think of something to say, but Mami interrupted her train of thought.

"Do you live here alone?" she asked.

"Sorry?" Mutsumi asked. "Oh why, yes," she said, "It's just me!" she said. "Why?"

"I dunno, I guess I suspected you to be married!" Mami said. There was an awkward silence, and Mami saw that Mutsumi's face had turned sullen. Mami went pale as she realized the implications. "Oh, I'm-" she stammered, feeling a pervasive sense of guilt, "-I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything by that!"

"It's okay," Mutsumi said, recomposing herself. Mami continued anyway, "Because honestly! I don't have any negative opinions about it or about you or anything! I just assumed that such a beautiful woman would be married!"

Mutsumi nearly choked on her food and coughed to dislodge it from her throat, the coughing helped mask her fierce blush. "Are you alright?" Mami asked worried for the woman's life as the last bit of chewed noodles coughed out of her mouth. "I do know the heimlich maneuver," the blonde said as she reached for her, but Mutsumi waved her off. "No, no! I'm fine!" she explained. "I just swallowed wrong, that's all!" Mutsumi decided not to tell her that she was caught off guard because her underaged crush found her stunningly gorgeous. 'Okay, that's not exactly how she said it,' Mutsumi told herself, 'but it might as well have been the way I've been acting.'

"Was it the shock of my asking that stupid question!" Mami sought clarity, "God, I dearly hope I haven't offended you!" Mutsumi nearly choked again from seeing Mami sitting there looking at her with her doe-eyed expression, innocent and cute, yet still dignified and mature. She managed to keep herself under control this time; however. Mutsumi shook her head, and said, "No need to be remorseful. If anything, as the older one I should be sorry my reaction made you feel awkward."

She sipped some tea, and elaborated. "I felt a little bad there when you asked me that because I thought you would think less of me if I told you the truth, but truth to be told, in general it doesn't really bother me that much these days. No, I'm not married. It used to affect me, but … I chose not to because I'm just not interested. I chose to focus on my career instead."

"Wow," Mami said. Mutsumi winced a little bit. She felt generally impressed with herself, but she wasn't sure if Mami would laugh at her or chastise her or believe her foolish for her life decisions. Instead the blonde teenager clasped her hands together, and with stars in her eyes, exclaimed, "That's SO cool!" Mutsumi blushed, and blinked slightly in disbelief. "I'm sorry?"

"That's SO cool!" Mami reiterated, "You're so cool and brave, Mutsumi!" Mutsumi flushed and stammered and felt her heart throb. "Well….," was all she could stammer out, "I don't know about brave!" she said.

"Yes, you are!" mami said again, "You're like a hero, Mutsumi! I don't know a lot of people who would make that choice; that would choose their own benefit over social pressure!"

"This praise is all too much for me!" Mutsumi said honestly, "Most people just think I'm a loser and a fool!"

Mami waved these hypothetical people off. "Oh, who needs shallow people like them anyway!" Mami clasped Mutsumi's hand, "They're just upset that they don't have the resolve you do."

"Heheh," Mutsumi chuckled, as she felt her eyes water. "Such a teenaged way of putting it," she said. Mami nodded, "Maybe," she replied, "but it's the truth!"

Mutsumi had to fight back some tears in her eyes as she felt years of abuse and ridicule disappear off of her. Mami saw her, and hugged her. "Thanks," the woman said as she accepted the embrace from her younger, "you….you don't know how much that means to hear that from someone!"

"You don't have to worry about any judgement from me!" Mami assured her. "You're so strong, Mutsumi!"

"Thanks," Mutsumi sniffled. "I-I did have some … help with coming to terms with it, though."

"Oh, really?" Mami replied, "Did you see a therapist."

"Well, no, actually," Mutsumi said, "It was you who helped me. Inadvertently. When you somehow saved me from dying, it really helped me turn my life around."

"Oh, really?" Mami loosened her hold on the woman and backed away. "I ….," Mami stammered, as she made eye contact with woman, tears of ecstasy forming in her eyes as she tried to speak. "I dunno what to say…," Mami said. "I was only trying to help."

"You did! In more ways than you know…"

"Well," Mami said, as she attempted to wipe her tears away, I'm crying now!"

Both of them chuckled as they embraced each other again. "I think you're the stronger one here!" Mutsumi said. She felt Mami shake her head in her bosom, "No! You definitely are!"

They both laughed. "Okay, we're both strong!" Mutsumi said.

"Mmmm," Mami nodded in her chest," We'll be strong for each other." Mutsumi nodded. "Yes, let's take care of each other." Mutsumi stroked Mami's hair delicately as she said this enjoying the warmth created by their bond. Outside, in the rain, people rain from the cold air and water as they tried to find a warm place for asylum, but Mutsumi was blessed to have hers right here. That's where she developed the courage.

"Mami" she whispered into her ear, "I hope you're not embarrassed by this question."

Mami pulled away and looked up. "What is it?"

"Do you have … a boyfriend?"

Mami looked pensive and shook her head, "Nnnmmm," she said, "I don't have a boyfriend!"

"Do you have," she continued, "a girlfriend, then?"

Mami looked away a little embarrassedly, but ultimately shook her head.

"Would you like one?"

Mami couldn't move as she notices her getting closer. Subtly, she shook her head, but it was so minute a movement she herself was scarcely aware of it. She tried to speak but she couldn't get the words out. She couldn't even think of what to say. Her body felt like it was on fire.

"Have you ever …. kissed anyone, Mami?"

Mami revived herself long enough to shake her head slightly. She barely whispered, "No," loud enough so that Mutsumi could just hear it. She felt exhilarated but also terrified, as if she knew in a single moment her life would drastically change and she wasn't prepared for it. Even if the change was good, the mere idea of it was terrifying enough.

Mutsumi moved in closer and pressed her lips upon Mami's, and they kissed. Mami felt the hair on her head stand up as her lips followed Mutsumi's lead, as if by instinct. Mutsumi hugged her hands around Mami and drew her in closer, slowly and delicately, and rubbed the back of her head as if nursing her. She cradled her in her arms as she continued to kiss the young girl. Her concerns: the judgement of her parents, society, and everyone; they all vanished, albeit briefly. Unfortunately it was all too briefly, as she felt a stuggle in between her arms. Mami pressed her hands against Mustumi's chest and pushed herself off. Mutsumi had a joke in her head about Mami being fast mover, but seeing the frightened look on Mami's face, she didn't dare make it.

Mami pushed out of her release and stared at her, clearly nervous. Mutsumi felt all the absolved negativity come rushing back on her a hundredfold. She sat there, this murderous feeling of guilt upon here as she tried to stammer some sort of explanation out of her mouth, something to make this okay again. "Mami," she said. "I-I-I'm …."

"I'm sorry!" Mami interrupted her as she rushed towards the door. She found that she had become uncharacteristically timid in the face of this woman. She was flushed. "I'm sorry, Mutsumi-san, but I have to go now!" She rushed her shoes on and haphazardly gathered all of her belongings. She fled to the door, fixed her hair really quick where Mutsumi had stroked her. She opened the door, took one more look at the woman before she said, "Forgive me!" as she slammed the door behind her and disappeared.

And there was nothing left to do but to sit there staring at the ground, tears in her eyes. "Stupid Mutsumi!" she muttered, sadly to herself. "You should've KNOWN that was going to happen! You DID KNOW but you thought that maybe just for a second that you could make it happen, didn't you! You fucking pervert!"

She threw her face down into the couch. "She saved my life and I repay her by ruining hers? By taking advantage of her?"

She looked up. She could hear only the sound of silence in her apartment: the sound of water and gas moving through the pipes, the electric whirrs and whizzing that her appliances made when not in use. The sound of slight pitter-patter against the windows. She looked out them at the cloudy sky. The bright neon lights of the city bounced back off of them. She saw the rain droplets fall down the windowpane outside. The rain wasn't as hard now. It was letting up.

She looked back towards the spot Mami had been sitting, and she saw her stockings still sitting there. Poor Mami had rushed out so fast, she must've left them behind, she thought. She reached over and gently grasped them. They were still wet from the rain. She looked at them and clutched them close to her chest, tearing up again.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mami!" Mutsumi said to them, "I'm so, so sorry! I just wanted you to know that I love you…"

Somewhere, Mami lept through the puddles, a little frightened, a little excited. She did know.


End file.
